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Tuesday, 30 June 2015

The
issue of Muslims Women and the veil has been a topic of great debate in the
western media, while some have called it oppressive, some have incorporated it
into fashion and completely changed the sole purpose for which the veil was
essentially worn, to hide. This debate over the veil is most prominent in
France where Muslim women have been banned from wearing the veil in public. One
French woman, MalekLayouni, was the victim of this no veil rule. She was
obviously not thinking about the consequences of wearing a veil or headscarf,
and she took her 9 year old son to an amusement park near the city of Paris,
however it turned out the veil would be quite a problem.

The
local officials of the area blocked the path of the veiled Muslim woman from
entering a beach which did not allow dogs, drunks and any type of religious
symbolism, which included the headscarf. The woman, Mrs. Layouni still feels
shy and embarrasses at being turned away from the beach in front of her neighbors
and friends, and especially because she did not have an answer for her son who
kept asking what their fault was. The first anti veil law was passed 10 years
ago in France, which banned Muslim women from wearing the veil to public
schools. These headscarves which are traditionally black in color can be found
in a wide array of bright bold colors and it has become one of the most key
points in the growing tension amongst the Muslim population of France. Even the
main politicians of France push forward towards completely denying veiled
Muslim women from access to schools, universities, jobs and also life in their
community. These politicians state that this is done in order to keep the
church or any other religion separate from the state.

The
critics claim that these laws have further divided the Muslim community in
France, from the other religions and have also promoted the feeling of
oppression and prejudice against the Muslims. Critics also claim that this ban
plays well for some extreme Islamists who plan to further aggravate and
distance the Muslim community of France from the others

However
these Muslim veiled women are not only being persecuted by the law, but this
law has also fuelled anti-Islamic rants and people are making life hell for
these women. The women have had to face abuse, they have been spat on and some
have even gone as far as to removing the veils off of the Muslim women.

Things
got out of hand when some Muslim women who were veiled were not allowed to pick
their children up from school or chaperone outings of their child’s class.
There are also reports of some stores or outlets particularly searching veiled
women every time they enter the store. Some women in Toulouse were also
violently beaten up, even though she was pregnant at the time, and had to be
hospitalized after being beaten by a young man, who called her a dirty Muslim.